U.S. patent number 7,908,191 [Application Number 12/276,142] was granted by the patent office on 2011-03-15 for method and system for tracking miles to determine traveling distance.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intuit Inc.. Invention is credited to Alan F. Buhler, Vidya Dinamani, Cary D. E. Evans, Keith A. Greener, Richard N. Preece, David D. Taylor, Alan Tifford.
United States Patent |
7,908,191 |
Dinamani , et al. |
March 15, 2011 |
Method and system for tracking miles to determine traveling
distance
Abstract
A portable computing device associated with a user for tracking
mileage in a motor vehicle, including a processor, a memory, a
global positioning satellite (GPS) module configured to determine a
physical location of the portable computing device, a tracking
application stored in the memory of the portable computing device,
wherein the tracking application is configured to activate based on
a movement of the portable computing device, determine whether a
threshold speed is reached by the portable computing device, record
a number of miles traveled by the portable computing device in the
motor vehicle to obtain tracking data, and display the tracking
data for reconciliation by the user, wherein the tracking
application determines physical locations of the user using the GPS
module, wherein reconciling data includes indicating which tracking
data is business related, and wherein the recorded mileage is
configured to be downloaded into a financial application.
Inventors: |
Dinamani; Vidya (San Diego,
CA), Preece; Richard N. (San Diego, CA), Taylor; David
D. (San Marcos, CA), Greener; Keith A. (San Diego,
CA), Tifford; Alan (San Diego, CA), Evans; Cary D. E.
(Encinitas, CA), Buhler; Alan F. (Escondido, CA) |
Assignee: |
Intuit Inc. (Mountain View,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
43708202 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/276,142 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/31; 340/988;
701/532 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
40/02 (20130101); G07C 5/0858 (20130101); G01C
22/02 (20130101); G06Q 40/123 (20131203); G07C
1/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
17/22 (20060101); G07F 19/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Zeender; F.
Assistant Examiner: Champagne; Luna
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Osha .cndot. Liang LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A portable computing device associated with a user for tracking
mileage in a motor vehicle, comprising: a processor; a memory; a
global positioning satellite (GPS) module configured to determine a
physical location of the portable computing device; a tracking
application stored in the memory of the portable computing device
and configured to interact with the GPS module, wherein the
tracking application, when executed by the processor, is configured
to: automatically activate based on a movement of the portable
computing device; determine whether a threshold speed is reached by
the portable computing device; record a number of miles traveled to
a business appointment by the portable computing device in the
motor vehicle when the threshold speed is reached to obtain
tracking data, wherein the tracking application determines a
plurality of physical locations of the user using the GPS module;
and send the tracking data to a second computing device, wherein
the second computing device is configured to: obtain information
associated with the business appointment of the user from an
electronic organizer application configured to execute in the
second computing device, compute a number of future potential miles
associated with traveling to the appointment in the motor vehicle,
once computed, store the number of future potential miles as stored
potential miles, receive the tracking data from the portable
computing device, and display the tracking data and the stored
potential miles for reconciliation by the user to obtain reconciled
data, receive reconciled data from the user, wherein the reconciled
data comprises data the user identifies as actual business related
mileage data using the tracking data and the stored potential
miles, and configure the reconciled data to be downloaded into a
tax preparation software.
2. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein reconciling
the computed future potential miles with the number of miles
comprises: determining that the user took a detour while traveling
to the business appointment using the GPS module; updating the
stored future potential miles when the detour is business related,
wherein the tracking application is configured to determine whether
the detour is business related by prompting the user to confirm
that the detour is business related on the portable computing
device.
3. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the tracking
application is further configured to: obtain a plurality of
previous transactions completed by the user from an expense report
associated with the user; and determine a subset of previous
transactions from the plurality of previous transactions that are
business related; compute business related expenses from the subset
of previous transactions; and store the business related expenses
in the tax preparation software.
4. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the tax
preparation software is configured to help the user file taxes, and
wherein the tracking data is stored in a deduction repository and
is applied to obtain tax deductions for the user.
5. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the tracking
data is displayed on a geographical map comprising the plurality of
physical locations traveled to by the user.
6. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the portable
computing device is a mobile phone.
7. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the tax
preparation software is hosted by a third-party system configured
to manage financial data.
8. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the threshold
speed is six miles per hour.
9. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the tracking
application is further configured to: determine whether at least
one of the plurality of physical locations of the user is a
business location using the GPS module; and track at least one
expense incurred by the user at the business location.
10. The portable computing device of claim 9, wherein the business
location is determined by prompting the user and receiving a
confirmation from the user in response to the prompt that the at
least one physical location is the business location.
11. A computer readable medium for tracking mileage traveled in a
motor vehicle, comprising software instructions executed by a
processor to: automatically activate a tracking application based
on a movement of a portable computing device associated with a
user; determine whether a threshold speed is reached by the
portable computing device; record a number of miles traveled to a
business appointment by the portable computing device in the motor
vehicle when the threshold speed is reached to obtain tracking
data, wherein the tracking application comprises GPS functionality
to determine a plurality of physical locations of the user; and
send the tracking data to a second computing device, wherein the
second computing device is configured to: obtain information
associated with the business appointment of the user from an
electronic organizer application configured to execute in the
second computing device, compute a number of future potential miles
associated with traveling to the appointment in the motor vehicle,
once computed, store the number of future potential miles as stored
potential miles, receive the tracking data from the portable
computing device, and display the tracking data and the stored
potential miles for reconciliation by the user to obtain reconciled
data, receiving reconciled data from the user, wherein the
reconciled data comprises data the user identifies as actual
business related mileage data using the tracking data and the
stored potential miles, and configuring the reconciled data to be
downloaded into a tax preparation software.
12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the software
instructions are further configured to: determine whether at least
one of the plurality of physical locations of the user is a
business location using the GPS module; and track at least one
expense incurred by the user at the business location.
13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the tracking
application is configured to be downloaded onto a mobile phone.
14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the tracking
data is displayed on a geographical map comprising the plurality of
physical locations traveled to by the user.
15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the tax
preparation software is configured to help the user file taxes, and
wherein the tracking data is stored in a deduction repository and
is applied to obtain tax deductions for the user.
16. A method for tracking mileage traveled in a motor vehicle,
comprising: obtaining information associated with a business
appointment of a user from an electronic organizer application;
computing a number of future potential miles associated with
traveling to the business appointment in the motor vehicle; storing
the computed future potential miles; automatically activating a
tracking application based on a movement of a portable computing
device associated with the user; determining whether a threshold
speed is reached by the portable computing device; when the
threshold speed is reached, recording a number of miles traveled to
the business appointment by the portable computing device in the
motor vehicle when the threshold speed is reached to obtain
tracking data, wherein the tracking application comprises GPS
functionality to determine a plurality of physical locations of the
user; receiving the tracking data from the portable computing
device; displaying the tracking data and the stored potential miles
for reconciliation by the user to obtain reconciled data receive
reconciled data from the user, wherein the reconciled data
comprises data the user identifies as actual business related
mileage data using the tracking data and the stored potential
miles; and configuring the reconciled data to be downloaded into a
tax preparation software.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein reconciling the computed future
potential miles with the number of miles comprises: determining
that the user took a detour while traveling to the business
appointment; updating the stored future potential miles when the
detour is business related, wherein the tracking application
determines whether the detour is business related by sending a
message to the user on the portable computing device to confirm
that the detour is business related.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the tax preparation software is
configured to help the user file taxes, and wherein the tracking
data is stored in a deduction repository and is applied to obtain
tax deductions for the user.
Description
BACKGROUND
When filing a tax return, a taxpayer (i.e., an individual or
business) generally has an opportunity to claim one or more tax
deductions, also referred to as tax-deductible expenses. A tax
deduction represents an expense incurred by the taxpayer, and may
be subtracted from the taxpayer's reported gross income, thereby
yielding a lower net income. A lower net income typically incurs
lower taxes. Therefore, taxpayers are generally interested in
identifying and claiming as many tax deductions as possible.
However, filing a tax return is a notoriously complex process, and
it may be difficult for the taxpayer to identify all of the tax
deductions available. For example, the number of miles traveled in
a car or other transport device for business related work is a tax
deductible expense. Often times, taxpayers do not include the
number of miles driven in a car for business related travel as a
deductible expense because keeping track of the number of miles
traveled is difficult and time-consuming. Specifically, a user is
required to keep a log of the user's travels and the distance
driven for each business-related trip. Therefore, each tax year,
many individuals and businesses fail to take advantage of the full
extent of tax deductions available to them.
SUMMARY
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a portable
computing device associated with a user for tracking mileage in a
motor vehicle, comprising a processor, a memory, a global
positioning satellite (GPS) module configured to determine a
physical location of the portable computing device, a tracking
application stored in the memory of the portable computing device
and configured to interact with the GPS module, wherein the
tracking application, when executed by the processor, is configured
to automatically activate based on a movement of the portable
computing device, determine whether a threshold speed is reached by
the portable computing device, record a number of miles traveled by
the portable computing device in the motor vehicle when the
threshold speed is reached to obtain tracking data, wherein the
tracking application determines a plurality of physical locations
of the user using the GPS module, and display the tracking data for
reconciliation by the user, wherein reconciling data comprises
indicating which tracking data is business related, wherein the
recorded mileage is stored in the memory of the portable computing
device and configured to be downloaded into a financial
application.
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for
tracking mileage traveled in a motor vehicle, comprising obtaining
information associated with a business appointment of a user from
an electronic organizer application, computing a number of future
potential miles associated with traveling to the business
appointment in the motor vehicle, storing the computed future
potential miles, automatically activating a tracking application
based on a movement of a portable computing device associated with
the user, determining whether a threshold speed is reached by the
portable computing device, recording a number of miles traveled by
the portable computing device in the motor vehicle when the
threshold speed is reached to obtain tracking data, wherein the
tracking application comprises GPS functionality to determine a
plurality of physical locations of the user, and wherein the
recorded mileage is configured to be downloaded into a financial
application, reconciling the computed future potential miles with
the number of miles, and displaying the tracking data and the
plurality of physical locations traveled to by the user using the
GPS functionality.
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a computer
readable medium for tracking mileage traveled in a motor vehicle,
comprising software instructions executed by a processor to
automatically activate a tracking application based on a movement
of a portable computing device associated with a user, determine
whether a threshold speed is reached by the portable computing
device, record a number of miles traveled by the portable computing
device in the motor vehicle when the threshold speed is reached to
obtain tracking data, wherein the tracking application comprises
GPS functionality to determine a plurality of physical locations of
the user, and display the tracking data for reconciliation by the
user, wherein reconciling data comprises indicating which tracking
data is business related and storing the business related track
data into a repository, and wherein the recorded mileage is
configured to be downloaded into a financial application.
Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following
description and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a system for tracking business expenses in accordance
with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a flow chart for a method for tracking miles traveled
in a motor vehicle from a device perspective in accordance with one
or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart for determining future potential mileage
associated with a business appointment in accordance with one or
more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 4 shows a flow chart for a method for tracking business
related expenses from a user perspective in accordance with one or
more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 5 shows a computing device in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in
the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for
consistency.
In the following detailed description of embodiments of the
invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it
will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the
invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to
avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.
In general, embodiments of the invention relate to method for
tracking business related expenses. More specifically, embodiments
of the invention provide a method for tracking the number of miles
driven in a car for business related travel using a portable
computing device that follows a user. Embodiments of the invention
provide both a passive and a user-initiated method for tracking
business related expenses.
FIG. 1 shows a system in accordance with one or more embodiments of
the invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a portable computing
device (102), a computing device (106) and a third party system
(112). Each of the aforementioned components of the system is
explained below.
The portable computing device (102) includes a tracking application
(104) and a global positioning satellite (GPS) module (105). In one
or more embodiments of the invention, the portable computing device
(102) is configured to store and execute the tracking application
(104) and the GPS module (105). In one or more embodiments of the
invention, the portable computing device (102) is a mobile phone.
Alternatively, the portable computing device (102) may be any
portable electronic device, such as a personal digital assistant, a
media device, etc. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that
although not shown in FIG. 1, the portable computing device
includes essential components found in most electronic devices,
such as a processor for executing the tracking application, a
memory for storing the tracking application and tracking data, a
display device and user interface for communicating with a user
associated with the portable computing device, and an external
communication interface for connecting to any wired, wireless
network, and/or GPS network.
The tracking application (104) is configured to track (i.e.,
follow) the movements of the portable computing device to obtain
tracking data. More specifically, the tracking application (104) is
configured to track the number of miles (or other unit of distance)
traveled by the portable computing device in a motor vehicle. The
tracking application (104) is also configured to compute the number
of future potential miles traveled in by a user for a business
related trip in a motor vehicle.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the portable computing
device is carried by a user. Thus, by tracking the movement of the
portable computing device, the tracking application (104) and the
GPS module (105) effectively track the movements and physical
locations of a user carrying the portable computing device.
Therefore, throughout the remainder of this disclosure, the phrases
"tracking the user" and "tracking the portable computing device"
may be used interchangeably. Further, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the user may be any individual who wishes to track
business expenses such as the number of miles driven for purposes
of business.
The GPS module (105) is configured to determine geographical
locations of the portable computing device. Those skilled in the
art will appreciate that the GPS module is a chip (i.e., an
integrated circuit) that is a component of the portable computing
device and is configured to determine a physical location of the
portable computing device and includes functionality found in GPS
devices that are well known in the art.
The computing device (106) may be any personal computer, such as a
laptop, a desktop system, a thin computer, etc. In one or more
embodiments of the invention, the computing device may include a
larger display and graphics ability than the portable computing
device and is configured to display tracking data for
reconciliation by the user. The computing device (106) includes a
user interface (108) and an electronic organization application
(110). In one or more embodiments of the invention, the computing
device (106) may also be configured to store the tracking data
obtained by the tracking application. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the computing device (106) is not limited to a
large system and may also be a hand-held or portable electronic
device on which the user can view displayed tracking data.
Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that although not
shown in FIG. 1, the computing device includes essential components
found in most computer systems, such as a processor for executing
the electronic organization application, a memory for storing data,
a display device for displaying the user interface for
communicating with a user, an input device, such as a keyboard, and
an external communication interface for connecting to any wired or
wireless network.
The user interface (108) is configured to display, among other
data, tracking data. For example, the user interface (108) may
display tracking data on a geographical map or a graph that
specifies the physical locations visited by the portable computing
device. Further, the user interface (108) is configured to take
input from the user for the reconciliation of tracking data.
The electronic organization application (110) may be any locally
stored or web-based application, which the user uses as an
organizer to store appointments, contacts, etc. For example, the
electronic organization application (110) may be an address book
application, a calendar application, or any application that
includes address book and/or calendar functionality, such as an
e-mail client. More specifically, for example, the electronic
organization application (110) may be Microsoft Outlook.RTM.
(Outlook is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation),
Google.TM. Calendar, etc. (Google is a trademark of Google, Inc.,
Mountain View, Calif.). The electronic organization application
(110) is configured to store a plurality of activities associated
with the user. For example, the electronic organization application
(110) may store a user's business appointments, charity events,
doctor appointments, and/or the names and addresses associated with
such appointments, such as the names and addresses of clients,
doctors, charity drop-off locations, etc.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although FIG. 1 shows
both a portable computing device and a computing device,
embodiments of the invention may be implemented without the use of
a computing device. Rather, reconciliation of data may be performed
on a user interface and a display associated with the portable
computing device. Further, as described above, the electronic
organization application may reside on the portable computing
device.
The third-party system (112) may be server or computing device
hosted by a third-party vendor or financial institution. In one or
more embodiments of the invention, the third-party may be an
organization associated with financial data management. For
example, in one or more embodiments of the invention, the
third-party may be a company that hosts software applications
related to filing taxes, such as Intuit, Inc. In this case, the
third-party system (112) may be a system for tax preparation.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the third-party system
(112) includes a repository (114) and a financial application
(116). The repository (114) is a storage unit, such as a file
system, a database management system, a relational database, a
spreadsheet, a program memory, or other system or mechanism for
storing data. The repository (114) may be distributed across
multiple vendors or financial institutions or stored with a single
vendor or financial institution. Further, although shown as being
associated with the third-party system (112), the repository (114)
may be stored on the computing device (106) or the portable
computing device (102) operated by the user. Further, the
repository (114) may be accessible using an Internet, Intranet, or
from a local storage device. In one or more embodiments of the
invention, the repository (114) is configured to store tracking
data obtained by the tracking application. In one or more
embodiments of the invention, in the case where the third-party
system is configured to aid a user in tax preparation, the
repository (114) may be a deduction repository configured to store
tracking data related to tax deductible business expenses, such as
mileage associated with a business trip.
The financial application (116) may be any financial management
software used by a consumer to manage financial data. For example,
a financial application may be an accounting application, a tax
preparation application, a payroll application, an invoicing
application, or any other type of financial application. Although
shown as being associated with the third-party system (112), the
financial application (116) may execute locally (e.g., on the
computer device (106) or portable computing device (102) of the
user) or remotely, such as from the third-party system (112). In
one or more embodiments of the invention, the financial application
(116) is tax preparation software that is configured to use the
tracking data related to tax deductions stored in the repository
(114) to complete a user's taxes.
FIG. 2 shows a flow chart from the device perspective for tracking
mileage traveled in a motor vehicle in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the invention. While the various steps in the
flowchart of FIG. 2 are presented and described sequentially, one
of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some or all of
the steps may be executed in different orders, may be combined or
omitted, and some or all of the steps may be executed in parallel.
Accordingly, the specific arrangement of steps shown in FIG. 2 is
not meant to limit the scope of the invention.
Initially, the tracking application is activated based on movements
of the portable computing device (ST 200). The tracking application
may automatically activate, or the user may initiate the activation
of the tracking application on the portable computing device. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the tracking application
may be downloaded and stored onto the user's portable computing
device before the method of FIG. 2 takes place. Subsequently, a
determination is made by the tracking application as to whether a
threshold speed of the portable computing device is reached (ST
202). That is, the tracking application determines whether the user
is traveling at a speed that is faster than a pre-determined
threshold speed in order to determine whether the user is traveling
by motor vehicle. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the
pre-determined threshold speed may be in the range of 5-7 mph.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that when the computing
device is not traveling at a speed that is faster than the
threshold speed, the tracking application assumes that the user is
stationary or walking, and therefore, does not track the mileage
traveled by the user. Thus, if the threshold speed is not reached,
the method returns to ST 200 until the threshold speed is
reached.
When the threshold speed is reached (ST 202), the tracking
application begins recording miles traveled by the user (St 204).
The tracking application operates in conjunction with the GPS
module that provides GPS functionality within the portable
computing device to determine physical locations of the user (ST
206). In one or more embodiments of the invention, the physical
locations determined using the GPS functionality within the
portable computing device may be used to determine, for example,
whether the user is stuck in traffic, and/or to determine whether
the user has reached a particular destination. Alternatively, in
one or more embodiments of the invention, the GPS functionality is
used to determine whether the user has stopped traveling in the
motor vehicle and is making a business-related purchase. In this
case, expenses incurred at the physical location where the user is
stopped to make a business purchase are tracked (ST 208). For
example, the GPS functionality within the portable computing device
may include pre-set locations for business stores, such as
Staples.TM., Office Depot.TM., etc. Thus, when the user stops to
make a purchase at one of the pre-set business locations recognized
by the GPS module, the tracking application may track the expenses
incurred as a result of the purchase made at the business
location.
The portable computing device then displays the tracking data
recorded by the tracking application and stored in the portable
computing device (ST 210). In one or more embodiments of the
invention, the portable computing device may be connected to
another computing device with enhanced display capabilities to
display the tracking data. Alternatively, the portable computing
device may be equipped with display functionality and graphic
ability, in which case the tracking data may be displayed on the
portable computing device itself.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, FIG. 2 illustrates a
passive method for tracking a user's business mileage and business
expenses, in which no interaction with the tracking application is
required by the user. That is, a user simply carries a portable
computing device on his/her person, and the device constantly
tracks the user's physical location and mileage traveled in a motor
vehicle, no matter where the user is traveling. For example, a user
may turn on the tracking application stored within their GPS
enabled mobile device. The tracking application monitors the user's
(or the portable computing device's) GPS location at a specified
intervals of time and calculates the rate of change between the two
points in the interval of time to determine the rate of speed (if
any) that the user is traveling. Subsequently, for a given
threshold (e.g., >6 mph) the tracking application assumes that
the user is no longer walking and therefore must be traveling in a
motor vehicle. While the user is moving, the tracking application
records the distance that the user has traveled that is greater
than 6 mph. Further, in one or more embodiments of the invention,
when the portable computing device's GPS coordinates lie on a
highway, and the speed is less than 6 mph, the tracking application
assumes the user is in traffic and continues to track the miles
driven, rather than assuming that the user has stopped traveling in
the motor vehicle and is walking.
Although not discussed in FIG. 2, in one or more embodiments of the
invention, while the user is traveling in the motor vehicle, the
application may show the user's distance traveled, and the user, by
entering the cost of gasoline and the estimated fuel efficiency of
the motor vehicle, may view a display similar to that of a Taxicab
driver's meter that indicates the total expense of the trip.
Further, although FIG. 2 discussed a passive method for tracking
the miles traveled in a motor vehicle, embodiments of the invention
may also employ a user initiated method for determining miles
driven in a motor vehicle. For example, at the start of a user's
business trip, the user may initiate his/her GPS enabled mobile
device and press a `Start Trip` button displayed on the mobile
phone to initiate the tracking application. At this stage, the
tracking application records the coordinates of the starting point
of the trip. The user may subsequently turn off the mobile device,
put it away or otherwise leave the device alone until they reach
the end of their destination, at which point the tracking
application may be re-started by pressing a "destination" button.
The tracking application then records the coordinates of the
destination point of the trip. Using the starting and destination
coordinates, the tracking application may then compute the mileage
traveled and store this number for use by the user in financial
data management, deducting mileage traveled as a business expense,
or submitting expense reports for reimbursement. In the user
initiated method described above, the user must start and stop the
tracking application each time a business-related trip is
taken.
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart for computing future potential miles
traveled in a motor vehicle in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the invention. While the various steps in the
flowchart of FIG. 3 are presented and described sequentially, one
of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some or all of
the steps may be executed in different orders, may be combined or
omitted, and some or all of the steps may be executed in parallel.
Accordingly, the specific arrangement of steps shown in FIG. 3 is
not meant to limit the scope of the invention.
Specifically, FIG. 3 describes a method for tracking business
related mileage and expenses in which the tracking application is
learning software that is proactive in determining business-related
expenses for a user. Initially, the tracking application obtains
appointment information from an electronic organization application
(ST 300). More specifically, in one or more embodiments of the
invention, the tracking application may include a component that
links to an electronic organization application, such as an e-mail
client that includes calendar functionality. In this case, the
tracking application recognizes when a user makes an appointment
and places the appointment on an electronic calendar application.
The appointment information is then used to obtain a physical
address or location for the appointment. In one or more embodiments
of the invention, the tracking application may include
functionality to learn and build up knowledge regarding the user's
business contacts. For example, over time, by tracking the user's
business trips on a constant basis, the tracking application may
store the names of business contacts for the user in memory, and
may recognize an appointment made in a calendar or address book
application to be a business related appointment (ST 302).
Continuing with FIG. 3, when an appointment is business related (ST
302), the tracking application automatically determines that the
appointment requires business travel using a motor vehicle. Thus,
the tracking application computes the number of future potential
miles to the location of the business related appointment, before
the appointment takes place (ST 304). The tracking application may
also use GPS functionality to map out a route to travel to the
business related appointment. When the appointment is not business
related, the process ends. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that if the tracking application has not built up enough knowledge
to recognize a new appointment as business related, the tracking
application may proceed to compute future potential miles for the
appointment. The user may then reconcile the tracking data at a
later point in time. Subsequently, the computed number of future
potential miles is stored (ST 306). The future potential mileage
computed may be stored on the portable computing device, downloaded
onto another computing device, or stored in a repository on a third
party system.
When the user begins the trip to travel to the appointment, the
tracking application begins tracking and recording the mileage
traveled, based on the method described above with respect to FIG.
2 (ST 308). At this stage, a determination is made as to whether
the user detours while traveling to the appointment (ST 310). In
one or more embodiments of the invention, the user detours when the
user makes a stop (recognized by the threshold speed level and the
GPS functionality) or takes a route that deviates from the route
calculated by the tracking application or is not recognized by the
tracking application. When the user detours (ST 310), another
determination is made as to whether the detour is business related
(ST 312). For example, if the user stops for gas, then this may be
deemed as a business related expense, such that the detour (the
stop for gas) is business related. In another example, in one or
more embodiments of the invention, if the user takes a longer route
to stop at a Staples.TM. to pick up material for the appointment,
then this is also a business related detour.
The tracking application may determine whether the detour is
business related using a variety of methods. For example, in one or
more embodiments of the invention, the tracking application may be
configured to prompt the user on the portable computing device via
a text message or e-mail message to confirm whether the recognized
detour is business related. Alternatively, the tracking application
may use GPS functionality to determine the physical location of the
user during the detour, and if the physical location is a pre-set
business location, such as an Office Depot.TM. or Staples.TM.
location, then the tracking application may automatically deem the
detour to be business related.
When the detour is business related, the tracking application
continues to track the additional miles traveled and any additional
expenses incurred as a result of the detour (ST 314). To determine
whether any expenses were incurred during the detour, the tracking
application may again prompt the user on the portable computing
device to confirm whether any expenses were incurred and to input
the total cost of the incurred expense. Thus, in one or more
embodiments of the invention, the tracking application may
proactively ask for information on a timely basis during the
detour, such that the user does not have to remember to record any
additional expenses incurred in addition to the mileage traveled
for the business related detour. Said another way, the tracking
application may eliminate the user's responsibility to create a log
of the expenses incurred during a business trip.
When the detour is not business related (ST 312), or after the
additional miles and/or expenses resulting from the detour are
recorded, the tracking application determines whether the user's
destination is reached (ST 316). When the appointment destination
is not reached, e.g., when the tracking application determines that
the user has stopped, but not at the destination known to the
tracking application for the appointment, the process returns to ST
310 to determine if the user detoured. If the appointment
destination is reached, the tracking application compares the
number of tracking miles to the number of future potential miles
computed before the business trip occurred (ST 318). When the
tracked miles match the future potential miles computed, the
process ends.
Alternatively, when the tracked miles do not match the future
potential miles computed, the stored tracking data associated with
the appointment is updated to reflect the higher or lower number of
miles tracked (ST 320). Returning to ST 310, when the user does not
detour on the way to the business appointment, the process simply
skips to ST 318, where the mileage comparison is performed to
determine whether the stored future potential miles need to be
updated.
For example, suppose the tracking application determines that the
number of tracked miles to the appointment is less than the number
of future potential miles computed. In this case, the tracking
application may simply assume that the user took a shorter route
without detouring, and update the recorded number of miles for the
appointment. Alternatively, consider the scenario in which the
tracking application does not track a detour, but tracks a number
of miles that is greater than the number of future potential miles
computed. In this case, when the user's destination is reached, the
tracking application may prompt the user on the portable computing
device to determine whether a detour was taken and whether the
detour was business related. The tracking application may then
update the tracking data stored according to the user's
response(s).
FIG. 4 shows a flow chart from the user perspective for tracking
mileage traveled in a motor vehicle in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the invention. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows a method
for tracking mileage for business related expenses from a user
perspective. While the various steps in the flowchart of FIG. 4 are
presented and described sequentially, one of ordinary skill in the
art will appreciate that some or all of the steps may be executed
in different orders, may be combined or omitted, and some or all of
the steps may be executed in parallel. Accordingly, the specific
arrangement of steps shown in FIG. 4 is not meant to limit the
scope of the invention.
Initially, the user activates the tracking application and/or the
portable computing device for a business related trip (ST 400).
Subsequently, the user enters known expenses related to the
business trip (St 402). For example, if the user knows of expenses
to be incurred related to the business trip, then the user may
enter such expenses so that the tracking application can record and
store the expenses. At this stage, after user movement beyond the
threshold speed is detected, a determination is made as to whether
the user receives a prompt to confirm that the tracked data is
business related (ST 404). When the user receives such a prompt on
the portable computing device, the user may respond by confirming
that the tracked data is business related (ST 406). Alternatively,
although not shown in FIG. 4, the user may also disregard the
prompt or respond by indicating that the tracked data is not
business related.
If the user does not receive a prompt on the portable computing
device, or after confirming the nature of the tracked data, the
user views a display of the tracking data recorded by the tracking
application (ST 408). In one or more embodiments of the invention,
the tracking data may be displayed in graphical form, plotted on a
geographical map, or displayed in any other organized manner.
Further, the user may view tracking data on a periodic basis, such
as once a week, at the end of each day, once a month, etc. This
time period may be defined by the user.
At this stage, the user reconciles the tracking data displayed (ST
410). In one or more embodiments of the invention, reconciling
tracking data involves determining and specifying which of the
tracked data is business related and can be applied to business
related expense reports or applied to tax deductible expenses. For
example, in the scenario described above in FIG. 2 where the
tracking application follows the user constantly, the user may have
significant data to reconcile, because not all motor vehicle travel
by the user in a day or week time frame would be business related.
Alternatively, in the scenario described in FIG. 3, where the
tracking application is proactive in determining and reconciling
future potential mileage traveled, the user may have less data
reconciliation to perform.
The user may subsequently download or store the business related
tracking data in a repository (ST 412). In one or more embodiments
of the invention, the user may download the reconciled tracking
data into a deduction repository hosted by a third-party system. In
one or more embodiments of the invention, the reconciled tracking
data may be imported into a financial application (ST 414). For
example, in one or more embodiments of the invention, the deduction
repository may be hosted by an organization associated with tax
preparation software applications and related financial
applications. This organization may provide a web-based site for
tax filers to download tax deductible expenses such that the
downloaded information is used by a related financial or tax
preparation software product that aids the user in filing taxes.
For example, the deduction repository may be operatively connected
to a software such as Turbo Tax.RTM. (Turbo Tax is a registered
trademark of Intuit, Inc., Mountain View Calif.), and the
reconciled data may be automatically imported into Turbo Tax.RTM.
may to complete a user's taxes.
Alternatively, in one or more embodiments of the invention, a user
may store the reconciled tracking data in any repository, and
subsequently provide the data to an accountant for purposes of
filing taxes. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that
embodiments of the invention are not limited to using the
reconciled data for tax related purposes. For example, a user may
simply use the reconciled data to complete expense reports,
reimbursement forms for an employer, or for any other suitable
purpose.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the tracking
application is configured to access a user's credit card statements
to determine whether any past expenses or purchases made are
business related. For example, when the portable computing device
is connected to a financial application used to manage the user's
expenses, the tracking application may access the financial
application data to determine whether any recent credit card
purchases are potential business related expenses. Alternatively,
the tracking application may, via a network connection, access and
download the user's credit card information on a periodic basis for
the aforementioned purpose. In this manner, using the learning
ability and knowledge database of the tracking application, the
user may be prompted to confirm whether particular transactions on
a credit card statement are business related. For example, suppose
the tracking application downloads credit card transactions and
determines that the user made a purchase at a Staples.TM. location
that is not near the user's home or office, but is close to a
client's office. In this case, the tracking application may prompt
the user on the portable computing device to confirm whether the
purchase at the Staples.TM. was business related. In addition, the
tracking device may also prompt the user to confirm whether the
user took a business trip in a motor vehicle to the client's office
location (assuming the tracking application did not already track
and record that business trip). The user may then confirm both
prompts as being business related. In one or more embodiments of
the invention, if a user identifies particular transactions as
business related, the tracking application may automatically store
the expenses and/or mileage associated with a business trip during
which the transaction took place, into the repository.
Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for a
device that follows a user to track business expenses and miles
traveled in a motor vehicle. Thus, embodiments of the invention
provide a system and method that looks forward in computing future
potential mileage traveled by a user, looks backward to ensure the
user has not overlooked any tax deductible or business related
expenses, and also tracks the user's present movements in order to
provide a robust and complete mechanism for identifying a user's
business related travels and expenses.
The invention may be implemented on virtually any type of computing
device regardless of the platform being used. In one or more
embodiments of the invention, a computing device may be used to
plot the locations traveled by car on a map or graph, where the
computing device is configured to display the map and/or graph.
Further, the computing device may be used to reconcile the data
obtained from the tracking device by the user. For example, as
shown in FIG. 5, a computer system (500) includes a processor
(502), associated memory (504), a storage device (506), and
numerous other elements and functionalities typical of today's
computers (not shown). The computer (500) may also include input
means, such as a keyboard (508) and a mouse (510), and output
means, such as a monitor (512). The computer system (500) is
connected to a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network
(e.g., the Internet) (not shown) via a network interface connection
(not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these
input and output means may take other forms, now known or later
developed.
Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more
elements of the aforementioned computer system (500) may be located
at a remote location and connected to the other elements over a
network. Further, software instructions to perform embodiments of
the invention may be stored on any tangible computer readable
medium such as a compact disc (CD), a memory card or USB device, a
diskette, a tape, or any other suitable tangible computer readable
storage device.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited
number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of
this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be
devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as
disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be
limited only by the attached claims.
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